WINONA, Minn. —Their backs have been to the wall for the past four matches — and that's just the way the Saint Mary's University volleyball team likes it.

When the pressure's on, so are the Cardinals.

SMU extended its winning streak to four straight — and moved one step closer to locking up a spot in the six-team MIAC post-season tournament — with a 3-1 victory over Carleton last Wednesday evening at the SMU gym.

"Everyone on this team is extremely happy with this win, but they also know that they've got one more to go," said SMU coach Mike Lester, whose team needs a win Wednesday in its regular-season finale against Gustavus to secure a tournament berth. "It's all or nothing Wednesday — win and we're in, lose and we're out."

Tracy Koertgen (Crystal Lake, Ill.) and Kirstan Rouzer (Comstock, Wis.) almost single-handedly made sure the Cardinals would get a win-and-they're-in scenario against the Gusties, as Koertgen recorded a match-high 29 kills and added three blocks, while Rouzer also broke the 20-kill barrier, finishing with 22 and a team-leading 24 digs.

"Tracy and Kirstan both had huge matches," praised Lester. "Carleton is a very, very good team and we needed to play one of our better matches to beat them. I thought everyone stepped up their game a bit tonight, and that's nice to see — when the match is on the line, everyone on this team wants to do their part."

And do it to perfection.

Along with stellar showings from Koertgen and Rouzer, SMU also got an impressive 11-kill, six-block effort from Ashley Dingels (Gibbon, Minn.), as well as 61 assists from Melissa Cowan (Algonquin, Ill.).

"Our goal at the beginning of the season was to reach the NCAA tournament — last Wednesday's match helped keep that goal alive," said Lester, whose team improved to 6-4 in the MIAC and 14-13 overall. "Obviously, we've still got a lot of work ahead of us, but if we can get ourselves into the (MIAC) tournament, that (NCAA tournament) automatic qualifier is up for grabs.

"Before we can worry about that, we have to beat Gustavus."

And Lester isn't just saying that.

With a 6-4 conference record, SMU heads into Wednesday's match tied with Gustavus and Concordia for fifth place. The Cardinals and Gusties face each other, while the Cobbers close out their regular season against St. Benedict (7-2). A Concordia loss and an SMU loss would leave the two tied for sixth place, but the Cobbers hold the tiebreaker over the Cardinals thanks to a 3-0 win earlier this year.

Which leaves SMU with just one option — beat Gustavus.

"We know what's at stake — but we've been in this position the last four matches, so there isn't any extra pressure. We just have to go out and play the way we are capable," Lester said. "It should be a great match."

* THIS AND THAT: SMU's current four-match winning streak is its longest since the Cardinals opened the season with four straight wins. … Tracy Koertgen's (Crystal Lake, Ill.) 29 kills vs. Carleton were one short of her season high (30 kills vs. Wartburg on Oct. 5). … Kirstan Rouzer's (Comstock, Ill.) 22 kills vs. the Knights, meanwhile, was a season high. … Each of SMU's last four wins have gone at least four games — after the Cardinals' first 10 wins all came via 3-0 scores. … The Cardinals have not lost on their home court since a 3-0 loss to Bethel on Sept. 25.